Over the years since the invention of the lead-acid, wet-cell storage battery, a variety of devices have been created to interface it to the electrical circuits receiving power from it. The device most commonly in use for making an electrical connection with the terminal post of this type of battery is the open center, split-clamp, lead-alloy type connector. The split in the clamp is to allow flexing in attaching the clamp to, and removing it from, a battery terminal post, which is received by the clamp's open center. The usual method of clamping the connector to the terminal post is through the use of a nut and a bolt to pull the two halves of the split clamp together and hold them against the terminal post under pressure. However, this device suffers from material deterioration caused by corrosion. This deterioration usually results in the fusing of the nut, bolt, and clamp into a semi-unitary object, causing much difficulty in removing such a clamp from contact with the battery terminal post and often precludes its reuse.
Several attempts have been made to provide a device which accomplishes the electrical connection function of the device described above, but which also possesses quick connect and disconnect capabilities. Prior to the present invention, none of the prior art has fully realized this goal.
The following listed U.S. Patents have been compared with the art described in the present invention, and are exemplary of the shortcoming just mentioned in the preceding paragraph: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,521,223, 3,118,719, 3,204,216, 3,478,306, 3,529,280, 3,694,798, 3,745,516, 4,174,873, 4,342,497, 4,760,000, and 4,595,842.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a device which will form a secure electrical connection between an electrically conductive cable and the terminal post of a wet-cell storage battery.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device which will form such secure electrical connection between an electrically conductive cable and a wet-cell storage battery terminal post and yet be quickly detachable upon the application of manual force, such as a squeeze, or the like.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a secure electrical connection with automatic spring-tensioned self-compensation for loss of material due to wear and/or corrosion.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device which will form a secure electrical connection between a cable and a battery post, as just described above, in a quick connect and disconnect manner while possessing integral insulation against accidental electrical contact with other objects.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a device which will retain the secure electrical contact and permanency characteristics of similar connectors in use prior to the present invention by providing inner lining walls of appropriate material, shape, and size, preferably replaceable, to fit storage battery terminal posts.
Other objects and advantages will be accomplished by the present invention which is described in more detail in the following paragraphs.